Steely Dan formula a hit on the lawn

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jun 23, 2000 by Katie Johnston

DENVER - Critics blasted Steely Dan's concerts in the early '70s, harping on the band's scattered stage presence and lack of preparation. Wednesday night's show at Fiddler's Green showcased the same unflinchingly glossy hippie Muzak Steely Dan has always played, but nearly 30 years later, it flowed and bounced with exquisitely tight energy.

The stage presence was still stagnant, but these guys make no apologies for their lack of passion. Really, how many bands end a jazzy funk-rock number with an unemotional "All righty, thank you"? "Deacon Blues" says, "I cried when I wrote this song" - well, that seems highly unlikely, but nobody in the nearly full amphitheater seemed to mind.

Steely Dan originators Donald Fagen, on keyboard and vocals, and Walter Becker, on guitar, didn't bother trying to fake a sense of longevity with their 11 back-up musicians and vocalists, introducing them as "the members of our band this year."

These two 50-something guys took their bizarre lyrics and philosophies on the road for only two years before scrapping the tours to become a studio band, broke up for all of the '80s, reunited in the '90s, and in 2000 released their first studio album in 20 years.

The new songs from "Two Against Nature" had the familiar mathematically-placed rhythms but didn't have the same flair. The whiny "Janie Runaway" was more pointless than most of their songs; "Jack of Speed" wasn't bad - the kind of tune that makes you groove just a little bit, even if it's only way down deep inside. "West of Hollywood" was entirely inoffensive - a little shrill, perhaps, yet completely dull. The noticeable exception was "Cousin Dupree," a springy, slimy little tune about incest.

It was the mellow, brassy hits from the '70s that saved the show: "The Boston Rag," "Bodhisattva" and "Josie" in the first set, and "Deacon Blues," "Monkey in Your Soul" and "My Old School" in the second. They turned "Dirty Work," originally sung by short-lived vocalist David Palmer on the band's debut album, into a classy three- part female harmony.

The snide attitude alleged in an earlier concert was nowhere to be found; in fact, the band seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. And why not? It was a clear, mild June night, perfect for sitting on the lawn. "Is it dark yet?" Fagen kept asking, until they realized it was the longest day of the year. It was also Fiddler's Green, where ordinances are strict and shows must end by 10:30 p.m. sharp.

Steely Dan's songs don't have a beginning, or ever reach a climax or an ending, really - existing more as a brief, entirely likeable thought than a story you're likely to tell again and again.

Say this much for Becker and Fagen, though: They stumbled upon a style that sold and stuck with it. Wouldn't you?

Review

Rating: B

WHO: Steely Dan, in concert

WHEN: Wednesday night

WHERE: Fiddler's Green

LATEST RELEASE: "Two Against Nature"

RECOMMENDED TRACK: "Cousin Dupree"